Chameleons and a Corpse

by Ruby Loren

  Unfortunately, the first few interviews mirrored my initial perceptions and not my hopes. The teenagers just wanted to work on Facebook all day and couldn’t tell me anything about how effective the platform was for actually generating event sign ups, or attracting people to the zoo. We had a Facebook page and one of the admin staff at Avery who dealt with the other zoo’s stuff posted to our page daily, too, and it had a good amount of likes and engagement. The Lucky Zoo didn’t need a huge amount of work there, it needed fresh ideas and someone with a passion to see them through (I’d abandoned any hope of employing someone with a huge level of experience as soon as I’d seen the lineup).

  Worse than the teenagers were the newly graduated bunch. They seemed to believe that spouting technical jargon and figures taken from irrelevant giant corporations were going to baffle me into giving them the job.

  The mums were the group I was most hopeful about. A couple of them had some good prior experience, and I was sure that having to cope with kids meant their creativity and problem solving skills were going to be off the charts. The only thing that was making me hesitate was knowing they would never be able to put in extra time when the zoo needed it, and also, I didn’t get the sense from any of them that they particularly wanted a career with the potential for advancements. They wanted something that plodded along.

  By the middle of the afternoon, I was losing the will to live. My thoughts kept drifting back to the crime scene I’d witnessed yesterday, even though I’d done a fairly effective job of blocking it out so far. I was just wondering if Scarlett’s lawyer had managed to get her back out of the police station, or if she was sitting in a cell, when someone knocked on the door.

  I looked up and discovered a man in his thirties, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, standing there. He was too old to be someone fresh out of school and even though I knew mature students existed, he didn’t give off any whiff of shiny new graduate either - the lack of a try-hard suit was evidence enough of that. He seemed to exude confidence from his broad frame.

  I couldn’t place him at all.

  “Are you here for the interview?” I asked, not recognising this man as any of the potentials I’d reached out to for an interview.

  “What interview would that be?” he asked, throwing me for the second time.

  “It’s for someone to do the zoo’s marketing and PR. Sort of like asking for a superhero,” I confessed, having realised I had to be asking too much.

  “I could probably do that,” the casually-dressed man said, gracefully seating himself opposite the desk I’d set up.

  “But that wasn’t why you came here?” I was getting more confused by the second.

  “I came here because I heard about the new zoo and I’m in the market for a job. I thought I could get in on the ground floor, so to speak, if I came in and asked if you had any positions going and handed in my CV.” He took a sheaf of paper out of the briefcase he’d been carrying.

  I glanced at the summary. “You sound very well-qualified.” I looked up at his serious eyes that seemed to be completely colourless, taking on the shades of the environment around him. “I should probably give you the job description to see if it’s something you’d be willing to consider…” I hoped I wasn’t blushing too obviously. I knew that the salary listed wasn’t going to be anywhere close to what this man must have come to expect. I didn’t think anyone in the zoo would ever be on that kind of money, myself included, if you cancelled out the comic income. “It is of course open to negotiation,” I added when I handed over the description.

  He scanned the page. “Looks good. I want to work from home on some days and come in on others. I’ve just left a city job and I’m looking to have some more ‘me’ time.”

  “No kids?” I asked, wanting to find out if he was just covering for the fact that he was a stay-at-home dad. I had no problem with that, but I did like people to be upfront with me.

  He shook his head and there was something about him that made me feel it was a ridiculous question to have asked. On the surface, this man seemed normal. He was a little better looking than average and possessed a lovely head of steelgrey hair. Broad shoulders and a slightly stocky stature that hinted of exercise meant he wouldn’t have looked out of place in the forces.

  Yes, there was definitely something that said without a doubt he wasn’t going to settle down and play house. But did that same something make it anymore likely he wanted a job at a rural zoo and ‘me’ time?

  “I’m Pierce Goodman, by the way,” he said, extending a hand. I shook it, realising I’d let the conversation lapse.

  “Madigan Amos, but please, call me Madi.”

  “Well, Madi, I would love to be considered. If you could agree to the working from home on some days and a salary that’s…” he looked at the page “…ten grand more than that, I’d be on board.” He fixed me with a look. “Trust me. I am worth the money.”

  I did my best to smile back at him. Somehow, I didn't doubt that he was telling the truth, but there was still something about this man I wasn’t sure about. It was probably the way he’d made talking about running marketing campaigns and PR exercises sound just as serious as employing an assassin to take out a business rival. In fact, Pierce looked like the kind of guy you might ask to do exactly that.

  “Have you got any ideas of what you might do for the zoo, if you’re chosen?” I was determined to get this strange interview back on track.

  Pierce continued to look at me with his strange unerring eye contact, like I was the one being interviewed rather than the other way around. “My ideas would include getting people to come to the zoo and promoting any events you want promoted so that they sell out.”

  I opened my mouth to ask how exactly he’d do it and then shut it again. Who else did I have on my possibles list when every interview prior to this one had been a disaster? Sure, this man wanted an extra 10K a year, but I hadn’t been sure what a fair salary was anyway, and more to the point… I was curious.

  “What would you say to a one month trial period?” There, I wasn’t going to get myself in too deep.

  “Sounds great. I’ll see you tomorrow. You can take me through what’s going on in the zoo and anything technical. I’ll take it from there.”

  I really didn’t know whether this man was my saviour or my downfall. Had I really just offered him a job, or had he just assumed it? “I’ll see you tomorrow at nine,” I said, stamping my authority one last time. The amusement that flashed across his eyes said he knew it.

  “Fine. Looking forward to working with you.” We shook hands again and then he left without waiting for me to ask if he had any questions or… what else was I supposed to have done? After the earlier interviews, I’d felt I’d been getting the hang of this stuff, but then this man had walked in, apparently not even for the interview, and had walked out with the job.

  “He’s probably just what the zoo needs,” I said aloud.

  But that’s what bothered me most of all about Pierce Goodman. He was too right for the job.

  I sighed and sat back in my chair in the office I’d put together for myself in the empty, but impressive, barn conversion. The Abraham family, who were responsible for most of the zoo’s design and concept, had converted the barn and then lived there up until their mysterious disappearance. That mystery had since been solved and the truth found to be a grisly one, but I’d thought it was about time that the building was used again. That was why I’d taken the decision to move the bedroom furniture out of what had been the spare room and set up an office for the interviews today. When things were more organised, I promised myself that the conversion would be used for further offices and perhaps a conservation and education programme, too. I wanted The Lucky Zoo to be just as educational as Avery was.

  “Hold your horses,” I muttered to myself. It was great to have big plans, but I knew full well I was getting ahead of myself. The Lucky Zoo had a long way to go and businesses weren’t built in a day. First, we had to impres
s with our animal care and interest. Then we could turn our attention to nuances like education - the icing on the cake.

  I bit my lip when my mind drifted back to the perfect job applicant. I was almost certain I was just being incredibly paranoid… but what if? Could he be more than he appeared? I’d already mentally compared his physique to that of someone who’d worked in the forces. Then there was the fact that he was wildly suitable - incredibly so - when everyone else had been uninspiring. What were the chances of someone who appeared as slick and formidable at their job as he did being interested in such a lowly position here? I knew there was potential for advancement, but it was clear Pierce Goodman wasn’t on the first job of his career. And I also didn’t think he just wanted to take some time out from the rat race.

  I did some more lip biting before I dialled Katya’s number. MI5 had asked her to keep watch on me when I’d gone on holiday to Mallorca with Auryn. Now that I was back, did I really believe that they were willing to just let me go about my life like a normal person, as if nothing had ever happened? The way Katya had talked about it, she’d implied they still believed I had contact with my old fake publishing company, who’d turned out to be a gang of money launderers. On the one hand, I was amused that British Intelligence thought I had enough free time to be dabbling in a life of crime, but on the other, it was exceedingly annoying that they felt the need to monitor me. There were a couple of people I’d met in their organisation that I’d definitely rubbed up the wrong way. Perhaps even now they weren’t willing to let it go.

  Or perhaps I’d finally snapped and gone bat-poo crazy.

  The call went to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message. Katya and I were not supposed to be friends. After everything that had happened and the way I’d been deceived, I was sure any sane person would never trust someone they knew to be working for the intelligence service again, but I did trust Katya. That was why I wanted to call her to ask if she could clue me in on whether or not Pierce Goodman was anything to do with them.

  After thinking about it some more, I was actually glad that Katya hadn’t answered. I really did believe she was my friend, but what kind of friend would I be if I only ever called her to ask her to fill me in on official business? She wasn’t my informant!

  I sat back in my chair with Pierce’s CV. If there was anything fishy about my newest employee, I would have to find out what it was for myself. And so, with no little trepidation, I dialled the first number on Pierce’s list of references.

  3

  Sparks Fly

  Hey, have you heard anything more about Timmy?” I greeted Auryn when he came down to breakfast the next morning. Yesterday had turned into a busy one for both of us, and I’d stayed up late trying to catch up on my comic work, so there hadn’t exactly been any quality time between us.

  “Not that I’ve heard. I suppose they’re probably piecing what they have together. Or perhaps they already think they know who did it.” Auryn shot me a knowing look. “Scarlett might have just arrived at her lover’s house, for all we know. He certainly struck me as stupid enough to lie for her if she asked him.”

  “They’ll need more evidence if that is the case,” I observed.

  Auryn shrugged. “I guess we’ll all have to wait and see. I almost hope it is Scarlett and she’s locked up. Otherwise, there’s a killer walking free who none of us knows about.”

  I poured myself a bowl of cornflakes (no chocolate raisins this morning) and added milk, trying not to think about that chilling concept. “I managed to find two new employees,” I said, changing the subject onto more cheerful ground. “The new zookeeper got on really well with Vanessa, so she’s probably a great choice…” I waited for Auryn to get it.

  “You mean she’s really weird and a bit creepy?”

  “Bingo. I also found someone for the other job, the one I was worrying about.”

  “What are they like?”

  “That’s a good question…” I explained about Pierce’s surprising entrance and how he’d basically sold me on the job. “I mean, if he can convince me to give him the job that quickly, I think he’ll probably be as good as his word on the other stuff. I called a couple of his references and they only spoke of him in glowing terms.” I kept my expression blank, but Auryn knew me too well.

  “Were you not sure about him?”

  “He just seemed… too perfect for the job, you know? I have this feeling like he could be working for some giant successful business who can afford to keep him in lobster and caviar for eternity. Why on earth would he want to work at a zoo? And a zoo that’s just starting out! It hardly screams fantastic pay and a reliable career.”

  “Perhaps he wanted something different,” Auryn said, playing devil’s advocate.

  “Well… maybe. I just couldn’t help but wonder…”

  The front doorbell rang. I was closest, so I got up. Lucky ran ahead, apparently a lot more eager to see who was calling at this rather early hour than I was.

  “Is Auryn here?”

  It took me a couple of moments to realise who the woman standing on the doorstep was. She was dressed in a classy, but efficient, ensemble. Her blouse, although silky, was not flashy, and even her hair, pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck, hinted that she was more focused on hitting goals than creative makeup and hair. I could definitely respect that.

  “You’re Annabelle Wright, aren’t you?” I hadn’t actually met the lawyer Auryn had sought advice from for some of Avery Zoo’s debts.

  “I am,” she confirmed, giving me a look that let me know she knew full well who I was and needed no introduction. “Auryn?” she prompted when I carried on looking at her and doing nothing.

  “Come in, Annabelle. What can I do for you?” Auryn asked, having arrived behind me. Courteous as ever, he then offered her some coffee.

  “I’m not staying long. I just came to ask… is it true? Is Timmy dead? I heard it from a friend of a friend, but no one’s saying anything for sure. I drove by the house and saw there was police tape, but he’s really dead?”

  “He is,” Auryn confirmed with an appropriate level of solemness. I was mostly focusing on not raising my eyebrows at her line of enquiry, suspecting what I did about Annabelle’s relationship with Timmy Marsden.

  “That’s terrible! Why on earth is it being kept quiet? A popular man like Timmy will have a huge funeral. He had so many friends…”

  “The police are still investigating his death. They must have their own reasons for keeping it quiet for now,” I told her.

  “You think he was murdered?” Annabelle wasn’t a lawyer for nothing.

  Auryn and I looked at one another and then nodded. No one had actually asked us to stay silent about what we’d seen, although I knew neither of us was going to spread it around.

  All of a sudden, Annabelle’s face crumpled. A tear slipped down her cheek. “I just can’t believe it. He was going to leave his ridiculous wife for me, you know. Both of us are caught in sham marriages. He was divorced in all but name, let me assure you…”

  I blinked at her sudden change of tone from heartbroken to venomous.

  “That’s so sad,” I said, hoping Auryn wasn’t going to fall over in surprise at my sudden uncharacteristic attack of empathy. “When did you last see Timmy?”

  “Oh, it was on Saturday night. Scarlett was out partying with the work people because of some deal that was going to go through - at least, that’s the line she’d spun Timmy. Bless his heart. I’m still not sure if he actually believed her or not. I suppose now we’ll never know…” The lawyer sighed.

  I privately thought that Timmy, albeit occasionally buffoonish, had been pretty smart. He’d known that Scarlett was messing around, just as she knew he was. If he’d been trying to convince Annabelle otherwise, he was going for the sympathy vote.

  “What about the next morning - Sunday? Did you stay round?” I asked.

  The lawyer’s gaze immediately sharpened. As I’d mentioned before, she was no dummy. “I
was at Avery Zoo running a workshop for the HR department on how to talk yourself out of getting sued. I’m expanding my business,” she informed me with a hint of danger in her voice. The lawyer’s lips thinned. “In my experience, which is plentiful, it’s always the spouse. How was he killed?”

  “We think stabbed,” I said, figuring it probably didn’t matter. Surely the police would be making that information public soon, and I also didn’t see how the method of murder would give away the killer.

  Annabelle sighed. “We finally find each other and then something like this happens.”

  I did my best to keep from rolling my eyes. Annabelle may be good at law, but she seemed to be terrible at noticing what was going on right under her nose. Timmy did not strike me as a one-woman man. In turn, Scarlett had struck me as a blonde whirlwind of a woman - the kind who could entrance men and keep them on tenterhooks no matter where her loyalties really lay. Annabelle surely hadn’t stood a real chance against that.

  “I don’t mean to overstep our professional boundaries,” Auryn said, tactful as ever, “but you’re married! You have a family!”

  Annabelle had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. “It’s complicated,” she said, airily. Which I privately thought was lawyer speak for none of your business. I wondered if she knew that her husband was well aware of her affair. I wondered if her own life could be in danger because of that…

  “I think you should go,” Auryn told his lawyer in a polite but firm way.

  Annabelle stared at him in surprise and then seemed to recover herself, maybe realising all of what she’d said. “Yes, of course. I just wanted to be sure. I didn’t want to believe it.”

  Auryn shut the door behind her and then turned to me with disbelief written across his face.